Use the ebook design tips below to add value to your words & help build your brand by creating an ebook that stands out from the competition.
Dr. Charles (no relation) Parker’s ADHD Medication Rules provides numerous excellent examples of ebook design that works.
ADHD Medication Rules was designed by Karen Wickham, founder of That’s Creative Design.
I recently interviewed KarenWickham for Published & Profitable. We discussed some of the specific design techniques she employed to make ADHD Medication Rules stand out from its competition.
Here are just a few of the design lessons you can learn from analyzing ADHD Medication Rules:
- Choose landscape orientation. When designing publications likely to be read onscreen, consider the advantages of a wide–or landscape–format, instead of the typical narrow–or portrait–layout. This conforms better to the computer monitors and the screens found on on tablets. It also immediately helps set the ebook apart.
Provide visual contrast to the front cover. Notice that the front cover contrasts areas of light and dark. In addition, there are open areas without text contrast with areas filled with text. In addition, a lightly screened panel along the bottom of the page helps highlight the author’s name.- Use type to guide the reader’s eyes through the cover. Notice how the 3-word title, set in a large type size, contrasts with the longer subtitle set a considerably smaller type size. In addition, notice how Karen set the 3 words in the title at different type sizes, in order to form lines of equal length. The title is creates the ebook version of a corporate brand, or trademark! Finally, notice how your eyes are drawn to the author’s name set flush-right at the lower right.
Include white space on all inside pages. White space, areas without text and graphics, play an important role in publishing a stand-out ebook. As you can see from the example to the right, the white space at the top of each page creates an open, inviting appearance.- Add subheads to every page. Subheads play a major role in ebook design by visually indicating the end of one topic and the beginning of the next. To perform their role, subheads have to be noticeably larger than the text they introduce. In this example, the subheads are also set in blue.
Add emphasis to the first pages of new chapters. Add visual interest to your ebook by varying the format of the first pages of new chapters. This also helps readers locate new chapters as they skim your ebook. Note how chapter numbers and titles are set against a colored background. In addition, an oversize drop capital in the first first chapter draws the reader’s eyes to the first paragraph. Finally, a centered quotation provides a context, or perspective, for the information that follows.
Use visuals to subdivide your ebook into sections. Large, atmospheric photographs are used on the section divider pages to provide–in the words of Karen Wickham,the designer’s–rest areas for the reader’s eyes. The unexpected brightness of the photographs also provides a visual break from the text contained in each chapter.
The more time you spend analyzing a standout ebook, like ADHD Medication Rules, the more you’ll notice the subtleties that separate “everyday” from stand out design. You’ll also gain a new respect for the role that design plays in personal brand building.
Where does stand out ebook design come from?
Ultimately, the origins of a stand out ebook rest on the author’s willingness to respect the power of design to add value to their words and help their ebook stand out from its competition. In addition, authors must have the confidence to trust their designer and support, rather than undermine, their decisions. Did I leave anything out?
December 22, 2011
Thank you, Roger, for your insightful highlighting of the overt and subtle design elements of ADHD Medication Rules.
Thank you, Karen, for providing such an excellent model of what an ebook can be when design is integral.
In one of his Before & After Design Talks, Design Is All We’ve Got , John McWade commented on the importance of design being built into a product, not added on–design as part and parcel of the thing itself. (His repost of Seth Godin’s When the Tail Wags the Dog generated comments worth reading!)
It is clear that design was not a decorative add-on or an after thought in this ebook!
What can you additionally tell us about the app(s) used to layout the book and its conception to publication cycle?
December 23, 2011
Dear Mark:
Thank you for commenting.
I believe that Karen uses Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop for her design work, although she may also have used Adobe Illustrator for the title treatment.
Although the tools are important, what’s even more important are “softer” design skills, like asking questions and carefully listening to the client’s responses, taking the time to try-out dozens of different approaches, and–of course–”sweating the details.”
Thanks for a great question, Mark.
Roger
January 1, 2012
Dear Karen:
Thank you for the follow-up and clarification.
Best wishes for the New Year.
Roger
April 10, 2012
The article covers the bases well and it’s clear that the designer really understands the art of ebook design.
As with most design the purpose is not only to present the content in an appealing way, but also to ensure that the content is rendered clearly.
Another important aspect of this is typography. A serif font tends to make large blocks of text easier to read, while a sans-serif could be used for large bold titles or headlines. Though the designer did a beautiful job of working serif fonts into the title as well. On a computer sans-serif fonts render very crisp. However, elements of a serif font tend to make reading flow better, they can also contribute to a more classic print style look.
These are things that I’m sure the ebook designer considered and implemented in the layout. I just wanted to point it out because typography is one of those details that can really make a design stand out. Which, is what you are conveying with this interesting article.